Gezicht op Palaiokastritsa

1846

“A Book of Nonsense” is published

In 1846 Lear published A Book of Nonsense, a volume of limericks that went through three editions and helped popularise the form and the genre of literary nonsense.

1848–1849

Albania, Macedonia, Egypt and Greece

In 1848–49 Lear visited Albania, Vardar Macedonia, Egypt (all then part of the Ottoman Empire) and Greece. On the way he produced large quantities of coloured wash drawings, which he later converted in his studio into oil and watercolour paintings and into prints for his books.

1849

Meets Franklin Lushington on Malta

In 1849 on Malta Lear met the young barrister Franklin Lushington and toured southern Greece with him. It was the most fervent and painful friendship of his life and lasted almost forty years, until Lear’s death; Lushington did not wholly reciprocate his feelings.

aged 49 (1861 – 1862)

The death of his sister Ann, who had been a mother to him

Ann, who had raised Edward and acted as a mother to him until her death, died when he was almost 50 years old.

1871

A collection of nonsense songs, stories and alphabets appears

In 1871 Lear published Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets, which included the nonsense song “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat”, written for the children of his patron Edward Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby.

29. Januar 1888

Died